Heathen

The Boy

Endymion walks along the stream, going deeper into the forest.

He has been for quite some time in this foreign land, far away from where he was born, using a different name than the one his parents had given him. Sometimes he could barely recall their faces or the sound of his mother's voice, when she called his name. Long years have passed since then. The Ancient Gods of his land left and their children were left to their own devices, roaming this earth aimlessly. Endymion just indulged in everything life had to offer, food, wine, lovers, both female and male. He travelled around the world, seeking knowledge and new experiences, anything to make eternity bearable. But he also had a secret yearning in his heart, to find his one true love again. The thought often made him laugh bitterly. It was an unrealistic goal, to meet again someone who died so long ago. He didn't believe that someone can be born again. But there were many people who shared this belief and lived their lives accordingly.

It is a comforting thought, to know that you will see a beloved person again, to have a second chance, isn't it?

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As the light dims, he sees some movement on the other side of the stream. Not sure what is going on, he walks closer and sees a young boy desperately trying to hold off a wolf with sticks and stones. The beast has bared its teeth and growls menacingly at him. The boy looks scared out of his mind, tears streaming down his face. He pleads to the Unknown for someone to save him. The wolf lunges at the boy grazing his arm. The boy screams in fear, as he stumbles and falls onto his back with the beast on top of him. What happens next is just a blur. Endymion reaches them in a flash, grabs the beast and shoves it away with great force, causing it to hit its head on the hard rocky ground, breaking its neck, while simultaneously catching the boy in the air, saving him from a similar fate.

Endymion now holds the boy in his arms. His eyes are closed, he must have fainted from the shock. His forearm is covered in blood. A scratch caused by the wolf's fangs, is clearly visible through the torn fabric of the boy's shirt. Endymion averts his face momentarily as he takes a deep breath. He feels something in his gut awaken. The boy's scent is distracting and overwhelms him. He focuses to regain control of his impulse. He didn't just save the boy from the wolf, only to meet his doom at the hands of another monster.

The smell of the boy's blood is sweet and almost familiar, like a warm summer night, filled with the scent of evening primrose.

Like hers...

He finally shuts this part of himself with some effort and concentrates on the boy stirring in his arms. He starts to wake up. Endymion takes a better look at him. He is not very tall, his hair is black and his nose and cheeks are dusted with freckles. His face is small. His mouth is heart-shaped, with full lips.

Like hers... Io?

The boy take a deep breath and opens his eyes, big brown eyes with golden flecks. Those eyes are now staring with a mixture of surprise and fear at the stranger hovering above them. The stranger is holding him steadily in his arms, and a pair of midnight blue eyes is fixed on his face. He gasps and gets up and away as fast as he can, still a little dizzy and unsteady on his own feet.

"Do not be afraid..." the stranger speaks in a low voice.

The boy looks around and sees the dead wolf. "Did you do that?" He asks clearly in awe. "Yes." "You saved my life, sir! Thank you! Please tell me, how can I repay your kindness?" "No need. I just acted on impulse." The boy's eyes widen.

Who kills such a beast on impulse?

He looks around again, awkwardly. The forest is getting darker as the sun sets. Something about the strange man in front of him makes him feel uneasy. He bows his head. "Thank you." He repeats and leaves, walking hurriedly, glancing nervously over his shoulder, not sure if the stranger will follow him or not.

And what was he doing here? How did he happen to be here?

After a while, the boy reaches a clearing. He doesn't seem to be followed and he is closer to his home. He breathes a sigh of relief. On the other side of the clearing is a small log cabin. Smoke comes out of the chimney. He runs to the cabin and enters locking the door behind him.

"Dal, is that you?" A female voice calls to him. She has her back on him, busycooking. "Yes, Mother. I am back." "Goodness, son, I was beginning to wonder if anything happened to you... Oh, my! Are you alright?" As she turns to face him, she sees her son's bloody clothes. "I am alright Mother. I just tripped and grazed my arm. It is nothing." He is lying but it is better than making her worry more about the wolf and the stranger. "Let me see." His mother comes close and tries to hold his arm and see for herself. Dal is quick to turn away and avoid his mother. "No, don't worry! I am going to clean up." "Well, hurry then. Dinner is ready." The woman looks at her son exasperatedly, shaking her head.

(A/N: Dal 달 means Moon in Korean.)

Mother and son are sitting at the table now, eating silently their humble dinner. A fire crackles in the fireplace, keeping them warm. Night has fallen outside. The air is cold. Winter is close and soon the forest will be covered with snow.

At the tree line, a lone figure stands, watching them from afar. Endymion is looking at the boy, unable to believe it himself.

Is it possible? After all these time? Have I found her again?

Endymion closes his eyes and recalls the face of the girl he once vowed to love forever in his mind. Her long black hair is messily tied with a red ribbon. Her face is small. Her nose and cheeks have freckles. Her big brown eyes, with golden flecks like stars on a dark sky, look at him with so much love. Her heart-shaped mouth forms a smile and her berry-red lips find his.

But they were never meant to be. The Fates intervened, sending them both down different paths and separating them for eternity.

All these endless years, he was looking for some part of her in other girls and women. None of them made him feel the same she did. Similarly, none of his male lovers ever stirred anything special in him. He never considered that he would find his soul mate in any of them, male or female.

But now... This boy looks so much like her. Even his scent is almost identical...Is it possible?

Could this chance meeting mean that the secret longing in his heart, to find his one true love again, can finally be fulfilled? He seems to be dealing with that eventuality. Or is it another cruel game of the Fates?

Jeongin stands beside him and watches him as he watches the boy. "Be careful Endymion. Do not inflict on someone else the fate we have come to loathe, on a whim." Endymion looks at him. He knows his friend means well. "It is not a whim. I have to know. Somehow, I have to find out." Jeongin sighs. An unpleasant sense of foreboding comes over him, making him feel uncomfortable.